VZCZCXRO2132
OO RUEHCN RUEHGH
DE RUEHBJ #0380/01 0430858
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 120858Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BEIJING
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8101
INFO RUEHOO/CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD IMMEDIATE 7057
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 5044
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 000380 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/12/2035 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR CH PK AF IN XD
SUBJECT: PRC/PAKISTAN: NO PLA BASE PLANNED, CCP PLAYING ALL 
SIDES WITH PARTY OUTREACH 
 
Classified By: Deputy Political Section Chief Ben Moeling for reasons 1 
.4 (b,d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY:  Recent press speculation about PRC plans to 
establish a military presence in Pakistan is completely 
groundless, has been fanned by paranoid Indian news outlets 
and can be traced back to a single op-ed by a Chinese 
academic, according to Pakistan Embassy officials.  The 
Pakistani officials explained that increased party-party 
exchanges between Pakistani national-level political parties 
and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since President 
Musharraf's 2008 resignation reflects the CCP's desire to 
establish relationships across Pakistan's political spectrum. 
 Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi will visit China in late 
February to maintain positive momentum in the development of 
China-Pakistan relations.  END SUMMARY. 
 
No Plans for PRC Military Bases in Pakistan 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Recent Indian media reports of PRC plans to establish 
a permanent military base in Pakistan amounted to groundless 
speculation and reflected the depth of Indian paranoia about 
China-Pakistan relations, Pakistan Embassy Counselor Shafqat 
Ali Khan told PolOff February 10.  Khan denied that the 
governments of Pakistan and the PRC had ever discussed 
establishing a permanent PRC military base in Pakistan and 
said that such a possibility was "not even on the horizon." 
The only impetus for the current wave of speculation was a 
recent op-ed on the PRC's need to establish a stronger 
overseas military presence by Fudan University professor Shen 
Dingli, Khan explained, adding that Shen's article did not 
even mention Pakistan by name.  (Note: Shen published "Don't 
Shun the Idea of Setting Up Overseas Military Bases" January 
28 on china.org.cn, a government-affiliated website operated 
under the auspices of the State Council Information Office. 
End note.) 
 
¶3. (C) Khan dismissed speculation that the PRC was motivated 
by a desire for a permanent naval re-supply station in the 
Indian Ocean in deciding to provide funding for the 
development of the Gwadar Deep Sea Port.  According to Khan, 
the PRC originally offered a fixed amount of foreign 
assistance and requested that Pakistan propose how the 
assistance should be used.  Through this process, Pakistan 
requested PRC support for the development of the Gwadar port, 
not vice versa.  If the PRC's strategic objective was to 
secure a supply hub for its navy, it could have achieved this 
aim at much lower cost by requesting access to the existing 
port in Karachi, Khan concluded. 
 
CCP Covering Its Political Bases 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had sought to 
establish party-party relationships with all Pakistan 
national-level political organizations since Pervez 
Musharraf's August 2008 resignation, Pakistan Embassy 
Political Officer Zaman Mehdi told PolOff February 10. 
Recent CCP overtures to parties such as Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), 
the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan 
People's Party (PPP) should be seen in this light.  Mehdi 
suggested that JI's leadership received the same treatment 
from the CCP during their February 2009 visit as other 
Pakistan political parties despite JI being an Islamist 
party.  The CCP bestowed special treatment on PML-N leader 
Nawaz Sharif, Mehdi acknowledged, including meetings with 
Vice President Xi Jinping, Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and 
an elaborate reception by the Guangdong Provincial Party 
Secretary, but explained that such treatment derived from 
Sharif's previous rank of Prime Minister, not from close CCP 
ties to the PML-N.  Mehdi said the CCP used Sharif's visit to 
update him on the economic and social progress the PRC had 
achieved in the 11 years since his last visit and to 
introduce him to the PRC's "new generation of political 
leaders."  Khan noted that the timing of Sharif's visit to 
Beijing was driven in part by the CCP's offer to provide 
medical treatment to Sharif's wife, who Khan said had an 
ongoing back ailment.  Khan offered that Sharif's wife had 
since left Beijing and returned to London for further medical 
treatment. 
 
PRC-Pakistan Relations Smooth 
----------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Sino-Pakistan relations remained "smooth and steady," 
according to Khan, who added that both sides put great 
emphasis on maintaining a healthy strategic and cooperative 
partnership.  Mehdi added that Pakistan Foreign Minister 
 
BEIJING 00000380  002 OF 002 
 
 
Qureshi planned to visit Beijing in late February to continue 
the positive momentum in the relationship. 
HUNTSMAN